


Heartache, Heartbreak

by Clevercookie101



Category: ONEUS (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst and Tragedy, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Cheating, I’m sorry, M/M, Partner Betrayal, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23913760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clevercookie101/pseuds/Clevercookie101
Summary: A soul bond is supposed to be unbreakable. But once it's broken, it can be expected that the heart can only painfully ache for love from there.
Relationships: Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Kim Youngjo | Ravn, Kim Youngjo | Ravn/Yeo Hwanwoong
Comments: 10
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just something I wrote really quickly last night. Sorry there's not much plot or character development. Or if it's not emotional enough. 
> 
> I've been seeing a lot of RaWoong breakup fics lately so here's my contribution...

Hwanwoong’s heart aches. It feels like someone ripped it straight out of his chest and is now holding it in front of him as they tear it to pieces. 

He thinks it’s been hurting for a while, he has just tried to ignore it. But now, it’s truly getting to him. He can’t keep trying to bury the truth. 

He remembers when he first met Youngjo. How his heart had grown wings and soared when he laid eyes on him. How he had shyly smiled at Youngjo when they showed each other the infinity symbols on their wrists. The marks that proved they belonged together. That they were soulmates destined to love each other for _infinity._

Infinity came too soon. 

Their bond was strong. Hwanwoong remembers hopeless romantic Dongju spitting some technical bullshit at him along the lines of “When you’re first born, a soul bond is established between soulmates. This bond only grows when you meet each other. It ties your souls together for eternity.” 

Oh how Hwanwoong wishes Dongju hadn’t been right. His soul bond with Youngjo seemed like the strongest thing in the universe. A superglue that held them together. They couldn’t be away from each other for more than a few days before their hearts started to ache and their bond would pull them back together. 

It was true love...

Or so Hwanwoong thought. 

Looking back, he should’ve known this would happen. But he was too blinded by love—by the promise of a forever partner—to see it. 

The fond eyes. The sweet compliments. The cheesy declarations of love. They were all things Youngjo did, but they were never directed to Hwanwoong. 

They were directed to someone else. Someone who constantly pulled Youngjo’s attention from the comedy movie he was watching with Hwanwoong to his phone. He’d smile so softly at it then excuse himself to another room. Hwanwoong acted like he didn’t notice Youngjo was sneaking away to video chat someone else. 

As time went on, it only got worse. Youngjo got more distant. Whenever Hwanwoong proposed they get lunch together, Youngjo would apologize with a hollow excuse as to why he couldn’t make it, then make an empty promise to get lunch the next week. 

Hwanwoong’s heart surely suffered. Their soul bond couldn’t handle the pair being so distant. They needed to be together to keep their hearts healthy. But without Youngjo, Hwanwoong’s heart became weaker and weaker. 

Hwanwoong didn’t know the pain could become so unbearable. He knows what true love is, and now he knows what true heartbreak is too. 

The moment before Hwanwoong stumbled down the streets with tears in his eyes trying to find his apartment building is still fresh in his mind. 

Hwanwoong was taking a recreational stroll around the city. He had a date with Youngjo planned, of course, but it was cancelled just minutes before the scheduled time to meet. That was fine. If Youngjo didn’t want to take a walk with him, he could just go by himself. So he did. 

He regrets ever leaving his room. 

He was passing by a café, eyeing some of the cups the patrons were holding and debating if he should get one to. But then, he spotted him. Youngjo in the back of the café, snuggled up to someone else. His arm was thrown around a pair of wide shoulders. They were smiling at each other, feeding the other a piece of cake they had probably purchased from the café. 

When a crumb got on the other’s lips, Youngjo brushed it away with his thumb. Then he leaned in to plant a kiss on their lips. A kiss that quickly escalated to just shy of public indecency. When they finally pulled back after what seemed like forever, they gave each other a look and stood up from the booth. Hwanwoong left, already guessing they were leaving for Youngjo’s apartment. 

He sped down the street as quickly as he could, trying to get as far away from his soulmate as he could while also heading towards his home. He had bumped into several people, apologized with a shaking voice, and continued without sparing a second glance. It may have been the tears in his eyes messing with his vision, but every face he saw looked like Youngjo’s. So he kept his head down, even if Youngjo was walking in the opposite direction. 

Hwanwoong had thrown open his door and fell to his knees. Now here he was, clutching his chest where his heart is. 

He’s not exaggerating. The pain is unbearable. The bond tying his soul to Youngjo’s was only hanging on by a single thin thread of hope, now even that had been severed. The strain on their bond had finally snapped. 

Hwanwoong vaguely remembers something else Dongju had told him about soulmates. That if the bond was strained to the point where it breaks, a broken heart is inevitable. Permanent heart damage is possible too. Even to the point of heart failure. 

This must be that. His heart can’t take it and now it’s shutting down. Hwanwoong should’ve done something to prevent this, he knows Youngjo’s is probably healthy since he’s filling its needs with someone else. But Hwanwoong wouldn’t dare cheat on Youngjo, even though he knows he had lost Youngjo’s love a long time ago. 

He’s lightheaded now. His chest is throbbing, pain the only thing his nerves can focus on. He can’t hear or speak, and his vision is starting to fade. He’s going to die. He’s really going to die from a broken heart. 

With the last ounce of consciousness Hwanwoong can muster, he glances at his soul mark. The infinite loop now only fragments floating farther away from each other. It too is fading. 

Fading along with the tempo of Hwanwoong’s heartbeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I don't hate Youngjo and sorry to Hwanwoong T^T. 
> 
> In my head, Youngjo is cheating on Hwanwoong with someone he's been in love with even before he met Hwanwoong. That person is Geonhak, who came to Youngjo after his soulmate died, for emotional support. They grew together, and Youngjo thought he'd never actually meet his soulmate. Until he did. Except he soon realized he was too attached to Geonhak and kept coming back to him instead of Hwanwoong. Tell me if you're interested in this concept. I can elaborate on it more and even go into post-Hwanwoong death and how Youngjo reacts. 
> 
> (NOTE: Concept above explored in next chapter)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s almost 2am…
> 
> You guys asked for it. Grab your tissues, it’s time to cry.

It’s times like these when it really sinks in. When Youngjo wakes up with Geonhak sleeping naked next to him, with his face buried into the crook of Youngjo’s neck. He doesn’t regret what he’s done, but he also feels guilty for hurting Hwanwoong. 

He hadn’t meant for it to turn out this way. He never planned this, it just sort of  _ happened.  _

He remembers a crying Geonhak standing at his door, face drenched from rain and tears. He shook as he told Youngjo what had happened. His one and only soulmate had just been killed in a car accident. He had run to the hospital, only to find out they were already pronounced dead. 

Youngjo’s heart sunk. He’d never seen Geonhak, his best friend, so broken and hopeless before. Youngjo invited him in, ran him a bath, and sat with him on the couch while he recounted the moments up until then. Eventually Geonhak’s cries grew silent, and he inched closer and closer until Youngjo felt safe enough to pull him into a comforting hug. They stayed close to each other, hands clasped together, as they tried to sleep through the cold night. 

As time went on, they grew closer. Youngjo watched as Geonhak slowly found himself again. Youngjo took him to trauma therapy, even sitting with him in the office when he got too nervous. The whole time, all Youngjo could think about was how helpless Geonhak looked that day. He never wanted to see him like that ever again. 

Geonhak was able to cope. He found a crutch in Youngjo and Youngjo was happy to allow Geonhak to lean on him. Youngjo had seen Geonhak at his lowest and had helped him get back up, so he trusted Youngjo to always be there for him. 

Geonhak’s broken heart was mended by the warmth of Youngjo’s embrace—of his unconditional love. 

This was all before Hwanwoong came into the picture. Youngjo never thought he’d meet his soulmate. Even his parents never did, instead marrying each other when they gave up hope. Youngjo was happy with Geonhak; he didn’t need to meet his soulmate. 

But he did. 

He had met Hwanwoong in the convenience store. They were back-to-back in one of the aisles. When Youngjo bent down to pick something off the shelf, he bumped into someone behind him. The stranger had yelped and dropped whatever they were holding. When they turned around and their eyes met, they both knew. 

They were shocked. But for different reasons. 

Hwanwoong was ecstatic to meet his soulmate. His friend had always told him stories about soulmates meeting, but he never could imagine his own story until now. 

Youngjo was conflicted. His heart was supposed to fit perfectly with Hwanwoong’s, yet he felt it belonged to Geonhak. He couldn’t just leave Geonhak because he had met his soulmate, could he? 

So he lied. He told Hwanwoong he was glad too and invited him to his home. Luckily, Geonhak was busy at work. They bought their goods from the store and went to Youngjo’s apartment. 

They sat and chatted, learned more about each other. Youngjo could see why Hwanwoong and him were meant to be. They had similar personalities, passions, and humor. He also found Hwanwoong attractive with his sharp features and charming height.

He kept seeing Hwanwoong. He thought that, at some point, it would just click and he’d fall head-over-heels for his soulmate. 

It never did. 

Everytime he was with Hwanwoong, he couldn’t help but think about Geonhak. When they watched a movie, he wondered if Geonhak would’ve liked it. When they ate, he remembered the times Geonhak had cooked for him. Even when they kissed, he couldn’t help but notice Geonhak’s lips tasted a tad bit sweeter. 

He couldn’t tell Hwanwoong the truth, though. He’d seen heartbreak with his own two eyes and what it can do to someone. He didn’t want Hwanwoong’s heart to suffer. 

So he kept both relationships going, each a secret from the other. At first it had just been sneaking texts to one another, but it became white lies he’d tell Hwanwoong so he could see Geonhak. 

Something just isn’t sitting right with him today. The guilt is eating at him. He has to tell Hwanwoong the truth. 

Youngjo hopes he’ll understand. He seems like the type who would. He knows Hwanwoong is strong. He’ll be ok, he can get through it. He can survive heartbreak. Maybe they could even stay friends after. 

Youngjo gently moves Geonhak’s head off his chest and gets up. Geonhak stirs a bit, but Youngjo presses a kiss to his temple to soothe him. He changes quickly and leaves a note next to the bed that he is going out to run an errand and will be back soon. 

Hwanwoong’s apartment is walking distance from his, only around ten minutes away. There’s a café between their two apartments they often set as their meeting spot. When he passes it, he wonders if Hwanwoong had already arrived there before he had cancelled their date earlier that day. Probably not, Hwanwoong was never on-time anyway. 

He takes the elevator up to Hwanwoong’s apartment. While he waits, he thinks about what he should say. If he speaks from his heart with sincerity, that’s all that matters. It’s better to tell him right away instead of beating around the bush or trying to sugarcoat it. 

He’s memorized Hwanwoong’s apartment number. Even his keycode too. So, he punches in the code and opens the door. 

The room is dead silent. Normally, Hwanwoong would be on the couch watching dramas right now. But the TV is off, and the couch is vacant. 

Youngjo takes a step inside and closes the door. He calls Hwanwoong’s name quietly but gets no response. So he steps deeper inside. Maybe Hwanwoong is in his room taking a nap. 

When he steps forward, he spots him. Hwanwoong laying on the floor, clutching his wrist. 

Sheer panic shoots through Youngjo. He crouches down next to Hwanwoong and gently shakes him. No response. His skin is ice cold. Youngjo turns him onto his back and checks his pulse. 

Nothing.

Youngjo bites back tears. He’s too late. The wrist that Hwanwoong was clasping reveals a fading soulmate mark. An all-tell sign that their soul bond is broken. Youngjo knows this because Geonhak’s star mark had done the same. Youngjo glances at his own. It’s not even there. 

How long has Hwanwoong been here? What made their bond break? Hwanwoong was oblivious to Youngjo’s other relationship, so his heart should’ve been fine unless he found out. 

But there is nothing Youngjo can do now. Hwanwoong is gone. 

He does what he’s expected to do. He calls the police and reports the body. The emergency services come and transport Youngjo and Hwanwoong’s body to the hospital. He’s pronounced dead within minutes of arrival. The autopsy report lists heart failure from a broken heart as the cause of death. 

The hospital calls Hwanwoong’s family to tell them the news. Youngjo is left to call Hwanwoong’s friends. 

He chooses to call Geonhak first. Geonhak answers with a voice thick with sleep, but listens to Youngjo anyway. Youngjo tells him he’s at the hospital for someone else and that he’d explain everything later. Right now, he has to focus on Hwanwoong. Geonhak understands and responds that he’ll wait for Youngjo to return. Youngjo hopes he’s as understanding when he tells him the truth later. 

Then Youngjo calls Dongju. He has only met Dongju once, but he knows Hwanwoong was close with him. Dongju was the little brother Hwanwoong never had. Youngjo doesn’t have time to explain himself before Dongju shows up to the hospital in tears. 

He asks the doctor what happened before Youngjo can intervene, and is shocked to hear that a broken heart killed his beloved friend. The doctor leaves, and Dongju turns to Youngjo with pain in his eyes. He slaps Youngjo across the face and leaves to say goodbye to Hwanwoong. 

Youngjo clutches his cheek and sighs. He knows he deserved it, he just hopes Dongju will hear out his story at some point. 

Youngjo is the last to say goodbye. The body is to be transported to the city Hwanwoong’s family lives in so they can say their goodbyes and plan a funeral from there. 

Youngjo walks into the hospital room. It smells of cleaning detergent and the crisp white walls hurt his eyes to look at. 

Laid on a bed in the center of the room is Hwanwoong’s body. Youngjo takes a seat in the chair next to the body. He holds Hwanwoong’s wrist as he mourns. Youngjo can’t think of anything to say. There’s not much to say now that it’s too late. He just hopes Hwanwoong is in a better place now. Somewhere his love will be returned.

_ I’m sorry.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Youngjo returns to his apartment and talks to Geonhak. The scene sort of parallels the time Geonhak had come to him in a twisted ironic sort of way. Geonhak grieves for Hwanwoong, a fellow broken heart, even though he had never met him. He stays by Youngjo’s side and helps him cope.
> 
> Dongju eventually listens to Youngjo. He’s not happy, but he also understands the situation. 
> 
> Youngjo stays silent through Hwanwoong’s funeral. He still doesn’t know what to say to him. To Hwanwoong’s family, however, he’s forced to admit the truth. They are infuriated, but they also know Hwanwoong wouldn’t be happy if they resent Youngjo. They don’t talk to him much after that, though.
> 
> Youngjo is able to move on eventually, but he learns a lot. About how love and time are fragile things.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sorry ㅠㅠ
> 
> Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave kudos or comments!
> 
> Follow me on twt @Clevercookie101


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